Daily WHUFC News - 16th February 2017

Loanee round-up
WHUFC.com

West Ham United's loanees had a busy Tuesday evening in the EFL.

In the Championship, Marcus Browne and Reece Oxford were unused substitutes
as Wigan Athletic and Reading beat Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brentford
respectively. Reece Burke missed Wigan's 1-0 win, which boosted their hopes
of avoiding relegation, at Molineux through injury.

Josh Cullen returned from injury to take his place at the heart of the
Bradford City midfield, but his 83-minute performance was ruined by a late
winner at Fleetwood.

The Bantams remain in the League One Play-Off places, but slipped four
points behind their hosts and remain in fifth place.

Toni Martinez's Oxford United were defeated 2-0 by Southend United at the
Kassam Stadium in the same division, with Anton Ferdinand helping to shackle
the on-loan Hammers striker.

George Dobson was introduced as a late substitute for mid-table Walsall in
their goalless League One draw at second-place Scunthorpe United.

Martin Samuelsen was also an unused substitute as Peterborough United
boosted their League One Play-Off chances by coming from behind to defeat
Shrewsbury Town at London Road.

In League Two, Alex Pike's Cheltenham Town were beaten 2-1 at Stevenage to
drop to 22nd in the table, ahead of Leyton Orient only on goal difference.

Below them both lie Newport County, for whom Jaanai Gordon was an unused
substitute as the the Welsh side held Grimsby Town to a goalless draw at
Rodney Parade.

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Super Slav gives Alf ride of his life!
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic takes young fan Alf Hill to meet Andy Carroll at Rush Green
training ground
Five-year-old had been waiting four-and-a-half hours to meet the centre
forward
Father Matt praises manager and player for making his son's half-term
holiday

Super Slaven Bilic lived up to his nickname once again by giving young fan
Alf Hill a half-term treat he will never forget.

East Stand Season Ticket Holder Alf was taken to Rush Green to collect
autographs and selfies on Tuesday afternoon by his father Matt, only to be
left disappointed when Andy Carroll failed to appear through the gates.

However, when the West Ham United manager learned of Alf's predicament on
stopping to pose for his own photograph, Bilic told the schoolboy to jump in
his car, turned it around and drove him back into the training ground to
meet Carroll.

"It was amazing," decorating contractor Matt told whufc.com. "I finished
work early and had told Alf that I'd drive him down to Rush Green one day
this week as it's his half-term holiday.

"We got there at one o'clock, only for the security guard to tell us that
training would not be starting until two, so we had a long wait, but it was
definitely worthwhile!

"All the players stopped on their way out and all of them were brilliant
signing autographs and posing for photos, but Alf really wanted to meet
Andy, as we'd missed Aaron Cresswell – another of his favourite players – as
we were sitting in the car waiting as he left!

"Then, at about five thirty, a car came down the driveway and I thought it
had to be Andy, but it turned out to be Slaven. We asked if Andy was coming
soon and Slaven said he was getting treatment and might be a while, but I
could see his mind was working and he was thinking about something.

"Slaven said to Alf and the other young lad who was there waiting to get in
his car and said he would take them in to meet Andy Carroll! We couldn't
believe it as Slaven turned the car around and took them into Rush Green,
then inside the training ground building to meet Andy.

"Myself and my wife Katie had our two-year-old daughter Issey with us too,
so we walked as quickly as we could up the driveway and got there in time to
take photos of Alf with Andy. I was nearly in tears, and I'm a grown man!"

Matt posted the story on his social media channels on Tuesday evening, with
his praise for Slaven catching the imagination of fans and the media alike.

"My Twitter and Facebook exploded and I got loads of calls from
journalists," he confirmed.

"Footballers get a lot of negative press these days, but I have got to say
that Slaven and the players were a real credit to West Ham and football in
general.

"Alf is quite shy, but is absolutely obsessed with West Ham and has had a
Season Ticket with me and his grandfather Jon since he was three. He was so
excited and you might say Slaven gave him the ride of his life!"

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Hammers enjoy Family Fun Day
WHUFC.com


Thousands of supporters attend West Ham United's biggest-ever Family Fun Day
at London Stadium
Day featured activities, an open training session and fun and games
involving the manager and players
Event also saw squad and fans take part in a unique team photo, a press
conference and party

Thousands of West Ham United supporters enjoyed a record breaking Family Fun
Day at London Stadium – the biggest free fan event in the Club's history.

Arranged during half-term to give avid Hammers of all ages the opportunity
to watch their heroes train up close, the Family Fun Day saw fans flock from
all over the country to London Stadium.

West Ham's commitment to affordable family football meant a children's
Season Ticket for the inaugural season at London Stadium was just £99, with
Adult prices starting at £289. As a result, the Club has almost 10,000
Junior Season Ticket holders, many of whom were in the crowd for the
history-making event.

Slaven Bilic put his players through their paces, with captain Mark Noble,
top-scorer Michail Antonio and new signings Jose Fonte and Robert Snodgrass
all impressing the crowd, while the injured Andy Carroll and Aaron Cresswell
came out to acknowledge the Claret and Blue Army.

Following the training session, the squad took part in a series of
light-hearted challenges, cheered on by supporters, before posing for the
biggest team photo in West Ham United history.

The squad then joined a group of 300 lucky Junior Hammers for a Party on the
indoor warm-up track at London Stadium, fully equipped with a disco,
face-painting, table-tennis tables, a FIFA station and the opportunity for
the children to stage their very own press conference with the manager Bilic
and captain Noble.

Family Fun DayNoble said: "We don't get many opportunities to say thank you
to the supporters, but today provided the perfect opportunity to show how
much we appreciate them and the incredible support they have given us home
and away this season.

"You could tell by the smiles on the lads' faces how much they were enjoying
it and I think it's important for us to thank the fans for all their
efforts, because wherever we go, they're always there giving us their full
support.

"Hopefully we've generated some good memories for them to take away. If you
think about Andy's wonder goal against Crystal Palace or Reidy's last-minute
winner against Sunderland, we've already had some great days here at London
Stadium and today was right up there with them."

Manager Bilic said: "I am never surprised by how passionate and devoted our
fans are – and today was another example of that. When I first heard about
the Family Fun Day, I was excited and to get 10,000 turn up is really
something special.

"Today just further proves how important West Ham is to the community, so
for us to be able to say thank you, and show our appreciation, of course we
are happy."

Family Fun DayReflecting on the hugely successful day, Vice-chairmen Karren
Brady said: "Today's Family Fun Day was another shining example of our
ongoing commitment to the supporters who have been so exceptional in our
first year here at London Stadium.

"We wanted to ensure that as many families and young children could attend,
so having the opportunity to host the Fun Day totally free of charge and
during the February half-term was ideal, and to have nearly 10,000 attendees
was incredible.

"I am absolutely delighted at the success of the Family Fun Day and, judging
by all the smiling faces, our young supporters certainly had a great time
and will take away countless treasured memories."

The first team squad now travel to Dubai for a warm weather training camp as
they aim to strengthen their claim on a second consecutive top-ten Premier
League finish.

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Slaven Bilic: West Ham boss and assistant Nikola Jurcevic fined £8,000 each
BBC.co.uk

West Ham boss Slaven Bilic and his assistant Nikola Jurcevic have each been
fined £8,000 after admitting to an improper conduct charge. Bilic was sent
off by referee Michael Oliver after throwing a TV microphone to the ground
in reaction to Gareth McAuley's injury-time equaliser for West Brom at
London Stadium.
Both were later charged by the Football Association. A West Ham statement
said Bilic and Jurcevic both admitted the charge. It added: "The manager and
assistant manager will both be available to sit on the bench for the Premier
League visit to Watford on 25 February."

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A game of one half
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 15th February 2017
By: Sam Woodcock

Despite the heartbreak of an injury time equaliser and the torture of having
to watch Tony Pulis organise an impromptu 'Who can kick the ball out of
London Stadium?' competition for his players, there were a number of
positives to take away from Saturday's draw against West Bromwich Albion.

And, ignoring the pummelling(s) we took from Manchester City, I would go as
far to say things are generally looking quite promising. As I left the game
on Saturday though, something dawned on me and it's been bugging me ever
since.

I'm a season ticket holder in the Trevor Brooking Stand and by virtue of the
team's difficulty to settle in the new stadium I, like everyone else, have
largely endured some pretty dire performances from my seat.

What I've realised though is how compounded this misery has been (for me
anyway) by the simple fact that West Ham attack the Trevor Brooking Stand in
the first half. Let this sink in for a moment: in 13 home games this season
West Ham have scored the sum total of thee goals in the first half. THREE.

Even more galling is that two of these goals arrived in one game, against
Watford, where we played like the Harlem Globetrotters on crack, only for
the comedown to set in once Troy Deeney decided he was a bit angry with
Payet and Lanzini's trigger-happy approach to rabonas. I missed that game.

Our other first-half goal came courtesy of a Mark Noble rebound from a saved
penalty which was scored up the ruddy Bobby Moore end! Whoever won that coin
toss must have had too much Weetabix that day.

Anyway, as you can see from the list of half-time scores, we are a
particularly awful team at home in the first half. We are in fact 18th in
the league when it comes to first half home performances.

Worse still, we have the very lowest number of winning positions at half
time with one; even Sunderland and Crystal Palace have managed two.

And, because I like numbers so much, the average of the other 19 Premier
League teams is 0.69 goals per first half at home. West Ham average 0.23.
Leaving for the bar on 40 minutes has always baffled me, but perhaps at West
Ham this folly all makes perfect sense?


Half Time Scores, At Home, this Season

0-0 vs Bournemouth
2-2 vs Watford
0-1 vs Southampton
0-0 vs Middlesbrough
0-0 vs Sunderland
0-0 vs Stoke
0-1 vs Arsenal
1-0 vs Burnley
0-0 vs Hull City
0-0 vs Manchester United
0-0 vs Crystal Palace
0-3 vs Manchester City
0-1 vs West Bromwich Albion


Now I'm not kidding myself, I know that games finish after 90 minutes and
the team have picked themselves up in the second half on several occasions.
Credit where credit is due and all that.

This miserable trend does surely tell us something about this West Ham team
though. First of all, it absolutely highlights the level of trepidation that
is shackling this team at home.

We all know that West Ham have struggled at London Stadium, but thirteen
games and three first half home goals (sorry, just had to mention it again)
is actually one of the worst records in Europe (Augsburg in the Bundesliga
just pipped us, with two).

An almighty chasm in assurance and self-belief is swallowing up any notion
the players have of being willing to take risks with the ball - and this is
leading to next to no goalscoring chances being created early on.

I don't like doing this but it drives the point home even further, at Upton
Park last season we were 5th in the half-time table at home with an average
of 0.84 goals per first-half and in a winning position on nine occasions. We
have not always been this slow off the mark.

The sheer lack of confidence that the team exhibits at London Stadium is
contrasted by the team's numbers away from home. West Ham are 6th(!) in the
first half away table and average an impressive 0.83 goals.

The logical thing to suggest from this evidence is that we are able to play
with more freedom and less pressure away from home, but it seems that the
team benefits from playing away from home tactically, just as much as they
do psychologically.

Home teams in the Premier League will invariably try to dominate possession
in order to satisfy their supporters; this plays into West Ham's hands
perfectly when playing away as we are still a very good counter attacking
football team.

At home, however, I think teams visiting London Stadium have been wary. You
don't almost break into the top four one season without other teams noticing
you and trying to work you out the next.

Away teams to West Ham know that we are more of a reactive team than a
probing and calculated one. Visitors seem happy to sit a little bit deeper
and let the frustration at passing backwards and sideways build. This,
combined with well timed and aggressive pressing, inevitably leads to a
mistake - and this is when away teams know when to strike.

It should be of no surprise that West Ham are one of the worst culprits for
conceding goals directly from individual mistakes. Time after time these
arise from someone dithering on the ball and starting a game of hot potato.

De Bruyne's for City and Ozil's for Arsenal are two goals conceded that
immediately spring to mind but there are certainly others.

Instilling a sense of initiative and urgency and encouraging players to take
more responsibility in home fixtures should certainly be a long-term
priority for Slaven then, as reacting to dour stalemates and going in at the
break behind leaves us in situations such as Saturday's all too often.

Cheikhou Kouyate being pushed back into midfield screams out to me as a
potential solution to this problem as he can grab a game by the horns and
bulldoze his way past deep-lying midfielders.

Our next home game is against Chelsea... we shall have to wait and see.

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I MISS PAYET- DO YOU?
BY EXWHUEMPLOYEE ON 14 FEBRUARY 2017 AT 10:33PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by @apuvyas

I miss Payet. There. I've said it.
Now, can I forgive and forget?
My anger has gone. To be fair, if I think about the stages of grief that my
emotions went through during his drawn out departure, denial was the longest
and anger a far behind second. But what purpose did the anger serve? As
someone wiser than me (or at least more quotable) once said, anger is like
poisoning yourself and hoping the other person suffers. Or something like
that.

Yes, I know. He's a snake and he treated us despicably. Yes I know if you
had the privilege to play for our club you would never leave and yes I know
that no player is bigger than any club and behaving as such means the exit
door is inevitable.

Now if this was a lover that I was missing, I would expect my friends to
give me a slap around the face and tell me I'm better off without her, there
is plenty more fish in the sea and I need to move on.

But, this isn't a dastardly ex, this is Dimitri Payet. For a while with
him, we soared, we dreamed, we were challengers!

Now you and I know that WE made him world class. We gave him confidence, a
stage to shine and built a team around him feeding him and playing to his
strengths. And boy did he flourish.

What are we without him? The last few weeks since his departure have
encapsulated exactly what we are without him. Not good enough to challenge
for Champions League and too good to go down. Mid-table obscurity.

Hate isn't an option for me. I've never hated a player before and I'm not
going to start now. Yes that includes Defoe, Lampard, Ince and Bilic.

Maybe like the ex-girlfriends who to my mind have treated and left me badly,
I should forget and pretend they don't exist.

But is that an option?

That last season at the Boleyn! Our first win at Anfield in my lifetime.
Beating City, Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs as well as the Reds all in
the same season. Coming from 2 down to beat Everton in the last minute.
One of my favourite player songs ever. And those sumptuous free kicks!

How can we possibly brush all those magic memories under the carpet just
because of one player?

Football IS about history. We tell Chelsea that they ain't got none. Does
ours start in the 60's and end in 1980? No it starts in 1895, continues to
this day and I'm proud of it all. The cups, blooding the big boys' noses
and our brilliant unwavering support despite out trials and tribulations.

I loved our last season at The Boleyn. It is cherished and will live
forever in the memory. I am going to bore my grandkids about it. There is
no way in hell that we can forget it and as painful as the move may be, not
a single reason why we should.

That wonderful, emotional season coincided with us having one of the best
players in the world, in form and at the peak of his career. I've never
seen a West Ham player as good in my lifetime and who knows if I will again.
He's gave me moments to treasure and I don't want to brush that under the
carpet.

So, we can't forget. Sweeping those glorious 9 months under the carpet and
throwing away the mixed metaphorical key is not an option. Neither is
revisiting it with a bitter taste in my mouth, which leaves forgiveness as
the only choice.

Martin Luther King once said that "Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it.
Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love
illuminates it."

I love West Ham and I love our history and no player is going to change that
or stop me from revelling in my many happy memories.

I miss Payet. Unfortunately, he just didn't understand.

Agree or disagree? Let me know on Twitter @apuvyas or pop in to Planet
Leasing where I'm happy to talk about cars, vans and West Ham!

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'Only regret about selling Dimitri Payet was the price,' says David Gold
By Paul Vinnell
Last Updated: 15/02/17 1:48pm
SSN

West Ham co-owner David Gold says his only regret about selling Dimitri
Payet was the price. Marseille paid £25m to take Payet back to France, after
the midfielder effectively went on strike and demanded a move home. Gold
says that is well short of the France international's true value. "My only
regret I suppose is that he was sold for £25m and I think he was worth
more," he told Sky Sports News HQ. "I think in an open market he would have
fetched £30-35m. I think the fans feel a bit cheated and that they didn't
get full value. "He insisted on only going to Marseille. It was one club
bidding, so that depressed the price. It was £25m instead of maybe £35m. "I
don't think he handled it very well. Does anybody? I suppose the answer is
we are disappointed but we have to move on. There is life after Dimitri
Payet."
Asked if the Payet affair had put the club off buying high-profile imports,
Gold admitted the club would prefer to shop locally.
"David Sullivan, me, Slaven, we prefer English players or players who have
experience of the Premier League," he said. "That's why we have just
recently moved for two players [Jose Fonte and Robert Snodgrass] with
tremendous pedigree."

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Agent: 'Media slaughtered Zaza'
By Football Italia staff

Simone Zaza's father says being "slaughtered" by the Italian media affected
his son's confidence at West Ham United. The striker was brought on at the
end of the Euro 2016 quarter final against Germany, so that he could take a
penalty in the shoot-out. Zaza delayed his run-up, appearing to wait for
Manuel Neuer to move, and when the goalkeeper stayed on his feet the Azzurri
forward thrashed the ball over the bar. A move from Juventus to West Ham
followed, but the 25-year-old failed to score a goal and was sent back as
the Hammers didn't want to pay his buyout clause Zaza is now at Valencia in
Spain, and his father and agent believes his confidence was affected by that
penalty miss and the subsequent reaction. "Of course, that affected him a
lot," Antonio Zaza told JuveNews. "He carried that missed penalty with him
for several months, and his mother and I could see how much Simone was
suffering because of it.
"Then the press slaughtered him excessively and he was crushed by that. Now
it's in the past though, and Simone wants to establish himself at Valencia."

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West Ham fan's super day meeting Andy Carroll thanks to Slaven Bilic
ESPN

He may well be a growling, microphone-trashing hoodlum on the touchlines,
but it turns out Slaven Bilic has a heart of gold buried deep in that chest
of his. Indeed, it has emerged that the West Ham manager went out of his way
to make a young fan's day recently.
While driving out of the training ground at the end of the day, Bilic
stopped to talked to Hammers fan Alf, who was patiently waiting to get a
photo with his favourite player, Andy Carroll.

Follow
Matt Hill @matthill_33
@WestHamUtd what a man you have in charge. His act of kindness should be
recognised for what he did for my son yesterday. #WHUFC #SUPERSLAV
8:52 AM - 15 Feb 2017
384 384 Retweets 597 597 likes

After explaining that Carroll was staying behind for some extra fitness
work, Bilic personally escorted Alf back into the training complex to meet
his hero in person. The net result? Alf got his photo after all and
everybody went home happy.

Super Slav. What a man.

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ANUEL LANZINI EYEING A RETURN TO RIVER PLATE
MICHAEL OLIVER @MichaelOIiver
ReadWestHam

Since Dimitri Payet left the club in January, Manuel Lanzini has really
stepped up to the plate with two goals and three assists in West Ham's last
five games. Many believe that 'the little jewel' will make the step up and
fill the sizeable void Payet left but could the Hammers be dealing with a
similar situation with Lanzini as they did with Payet?
Speaking to TyC Sports, the 24-year-old outlined his intentions to one day
return to his boyhood club River Plate back in Argentina.
"Obviously projecting into the future is difficult because you never know,
but I want to go back to the club where I was born, where I grew up and I'm
a fan," Lanzini said. "It's what I want for my career, I do not know when it
will happen, but it's what I want for some time."
Lanzini joined the Hammers on an initial season-long loan from UAE side Al
Jazira in the summer of 2015, a move which was made permanent last summer
for a reported £9m following a successful debut season in English football,
and the Argentine has reiterated that he is happy at West Ham and with all
the career decisions he's made to date. "Today I am happy, in West Ham they
make me feel at home. "But obviously you have to [look at] your career, if I
do things right, and the options come alone and are analysed. I hope to
continue this way. "I am happy with the decisions I made. It was not easy at
the time I left for the UAE. It was a difficult decision, but I do not
regret it. I'm enjoying it today, I'm happy about how we're doing at West
Ham."
Lanzini, who has made 60 appearances for the Hammers, scoring on 12
occasions, says that nothing compares to playing in the River – Boca derby
back in Argentina. "I'm glad for everything that happened to River, I'm
proud, there are many team-mates I know, the kind of people that make me
very happy. "I played Fluminense vs Flamengo, here [for West Ham] against
Tottenham, but nothing resembles River vs Boca. I see the images and my face
of satisfaction in the goal. I did not know how to celebrate."

Payet left the Hammers in January because he wanted to return to Marseille,
the club he left for the Hammers. Let's hope that Lanzini doesn't have such
a swift change of heart.

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